Eight terrorists killed, 2 committ suicide in Xinjiang

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-10 22:49

Not far from the shop, the doors and windows of several buildings were damaged, and some residents were evacuated to a nearby school.

A middle-aged Uygur woman, who also did not want to be identified, told Xinhua that she and her family were awakened by the bombings.

"My two daughters and I have to stay at the school, because we are afraid to go back home," she said.

Local police said the attacks against a range of official facilities involved at least 15 people and 12 explosions of gas-based pipe bombs.

All institutions and enterprises in the county, which is about 740 kilometers from the regional capital of Urumqi, were ordered to close after the bombings.

A few taxis were still running but passengers had to undergo security checks and questioning before taking them, and the movement of private vehicles was tightly restricted in and out of the county.

According to the official accounts, the attacks began at 2:30 a.m., when a three-wheeled vehicle carrying explosive devices drove into the yard of the county public security bureau and an explosion went off.

According to the attacker captured in the initial incident at the public security bureau, there were 15 people involved in the attacks.

The bombers attacked the local government, public security bureau and the economic and trade committee with explosive devices. Police said they were aware of 12 bombings in the county.

According to initial investigation, the devices were made of pipes, gas canisters and liquid gas tanks. Police seized a taxi that the attackers used for the bombings.

Kuqa, with a population of about 400,000, is some 740 kilometers southwest of the regional capital Urumqi.

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